Residents protest new Family Dollar in SW Atlanta neighborhood

ATLANTA - More than 100 residents in a southwest Atlanta neighborhood protested a new Family Dollar store coming to the Cascade area on Friday.

The new store being protested has just broken ground at the intersection of Benjamin E. Mays and Fairburn roads in southwest Atlanta.

Why? Locals say Family Dollar stores "cheapen" the area and with the large number of them in nearby areas, they question the wisdom behind adding yet another one in the area.

"It's a cheap store, it has poor quality items, it has a lot of security issues," said Atlanta City Councilman C.T. Martin.

"There are three up the street, there's another one coming not less than a mile from here," said community member Dr. Georgianne Thomas. "For me it cheapens the neighborhood. It's no different than having a number of title pawn shops in the neighborhood. It just says that's what we're about."

Martin says the chain target what they consider to be low-income communities.

Family Dollar released a statement Friday that said, in part, "Family Dollar is proud to be a neighborhood store and we continuously strive to be part of the neighborhoods we serve. Once the store is open, we will work diligently to ensure this Family Dollar store remains a positive addition to the community."

Martin has invited senior management of Family Dollar to Atlanta to hear residents' concerns first hand.